Sung in seven languages and suppressed by the Soviets for more than 40 years, Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s “THE PASSENGER” has had the opera world buzzing since making its long-delayed debut in Moscow in 2006. Set in the late 1950s, the somber work finds a West German diplomat traveling by ship to Brazil with his wife, Liese, who, unbeknownst to him, was a Nazi guard at Auschwitz. As the journey unfolds and the music grows more dissonant, Liese finds herself haunted by the appearance of a woman she believes died in the camp, a woman audiences get to know more intimately via flashbacks to Auschwitz. Michigan Opera Theatre’s production of the opera debuts this weekend with Daveda Karanas, Adrienn Miksch and David Danholt singing the principal roles and Steven Mercurio conducting. The staging comes nearly 20 years after the death of Weinberg, a Polish-born Jew who fled to the Soviet Union in 1939.

Maybe it’s the infectious early-‘60s hits that remind theatergoers of happier times in the Motor City. Maybe it’s the grit and street smarts exhibited by the principal characters. Or maybe it’s that pivotal scene that takes place in Detroit’s venerable Roostertail. Whatever the reason, local audiences just can’t seem to get enough of “JERSEY BOYS,” which returns to the Fisher on Tuesday for a nearly three-week run. The 2005 Broadway smash chronicles the rise and eventual break-up of pop band the Four Seasons and showcases an irresistible lineup of oldies like “Rag Doll,” “Sherry” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” The show, which played here at the end of 2009 and 2012, is becoming something of a semi-regular local holiday tradition. Maybe it’s time to make “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” an official Detroit Christmas carol.

Since its arrival in 1961, Roald Dahl’s children’s novel “JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH” has been adapted as a musical and movie and occasionally debated by parents and teachers because of its potentially frightening content. On Friday, it comes to the stage again courtesy of Wayne State’s Bonstelle Theatre Company. A cast of undergraduate students will employ storytelling, puppetry and live action to bring to life British actor-writer David Wood’s adaptation of Dahl’s story about an orphaned boy, his evil aunts, some talking insects and a flock of helpful seagulls. The production’s original music comes courtesy of composer and Detroit native Neal Warner, and Detroit native Joseph Paul Nix, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, stars as James.

Traditional African dance as well as dance reflecting the contemporary African-American experience will take the stage Friday at Wayne State’s Maggie Allesee Studio Theatre. “THE EVENT: STORIES OF THE ANCESTORS,” presented by WSU’s To Sangana African Dance Company, is a performance that showcases tap, hip-hop and modern dance as well as traditional African choreography, drumming, song and spoken word. To Sangana, which offers presentations in metro Detroit schools throughout the year, is committed to educating audiences about dance’s potential to communicate meaning and about the African cultural influence on music and movement. Its performance will be preceded at 6 p.m. by an African bazaar featuring vendors, food, raffles and a drum jam session.

Craig Ferguson has continued hosting the syndicated "Celebrity Name Game" since leaving "The Late Late Show" at the end of 2014.(Photo: Michael Becker)

Sounds as if CRAIG FERGUSON, due Sunday night in Royal Oak, is rather pleased to be out of the network late-night game and back to playing before audiences in theaters and comedy clubs. In an interview earlier this year with a Brooklyn, N.Y., blogger, the former host of CBS’s “Late Late Show” had this to say about his fondness for stand-up comedy and why he never completely abandoned it: “It was always a place for me to be outside the confines of broadcast television and sponsors and the FCC and ‘don't say (insert bad word here) and don't say anything bad about the sponsor.’ The realities of working inside that kind of environment, I mean, you sign up for it and so you do it, but they can be a little restrictive.” Since leaving “The Late Late Show” at end of 2014, the affable, Scottish-born Ferguson has made a sitcom pilot for ABC and continued as host of the syndicated “Celebrity Name Game.”